A $7 million housing project aiming to significantly improve the lot of Barbadians in their golden years has been given the green light.
The site at the Sterling Home in St Philip has been earmarked for a “village concept” endeavour which will house scores of elderly people who require special home care.
Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey told the DAILY NATION in an interview that Cabinet had approved the project last Thursday and it should commence in 2025.
“We want to do a programme called ‘Aging In Place’ where people age as close to home as possible or in facilities that allow them to have supportive care. The intention at Sterling is to be able to build out some villages that allow older persons to be able to live there in smaller communities and have access to the supportive services as necessary.
“Older people need to have community and people they can talk to and engage with,” he explained.
Humphrey said Government was also looking into day care for ageing Barbadians at Sterling. “Whether we use the old facility building or a new facility is to be determined, but we are going to build out day care for sure.”
He said the project was important as several older people need special care. “Once we do that, several Barbadians can go to work, knowing that their elderly relatives have day care. We have to do this because the statistics show that one in every five Barbadians is over 65, and one out of every four is over 60.”
The facility at Sterling is also expected to have special services for those battling dementia.
“When it is done, this could be a transformative site,” he said, noting that Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has also envisioned smaller satellite facilities for the elderly in every parish.
The minister also spoke of the work the current administration had completed to improve the state of the elderly and disabled since taking office in 2018.
“There was no specific elderly legislation in Barbados and there was no specific disability legislation in Barbados. There was child legislation, but not specific child protection legislation. The Cabinet [on Thursday] approved the disability legislation which will be laid in Parliament on Tuesday. The legislation offers people with disabilities the right to live with dignity and it’s going to be a big deal,” Humphrey said.
The legislation also covers the mandatory reporting of abuse of the elderly or people with disabilities, and access to employment and health care for the aged.
Also approved by Cabinet last Thursday was the draft bill for the elderly, a model established in conjunction with the Law Reform Commission which will be forwarded to the Chief Parliamentary Counsel for further building out to produce overall legislation. That should be completed before the end of the financial year in March next year, he stated.
Regarding legislation for the amalgamation of social service agencies, he noted that the final draft should be in place by year-end, allowing Government to bring together the National Assistance Board, National Disabilities Unit and the Welfare Department under one umbrella.
“That is at an advanced stage, with us now working out staffing and the conversations with the trade unions are continuing.”
